Top 10 Behind the Scenes Secrets About You
#10: They Say The Title How Many Times?
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Considering that the title of this show is a common pronoun, it makes sense that it would come up more than once. Exactly how many times do they say the word, “You,” throughout the first two seasons, though? The official Instagram account for Netflix Australia & New Zealand ran the numbers so we didn’t have to. The total was a staggering 3,857 times. Apparently, the pilot contains the most uses of the word “You.” Netflix’s YouTube account even released a compilation video that wracked up 241 “yous.” The word is reportedly more prominent in Season One than Season Two. No matter which season you’re watching, though, we wouldn’t recommend taking a shot every time that somebody says the title.
#9: When Joe Met You…
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“You” is a psychological thriller, but in Joe Goldberg’s demented mind, it’s a love story. So naturally, Joe views his heinous actions through the rosy lenses of a romantic comedy. The series even makes a few direct references to the rom-com classic “When Harry Met Sally…” As Peach and Raj get intimate in Season One, Joe makes a sarcastic remark about Harry and Sally while hiding under the bed. The following season, Joe quotes the immortal words of Nora Ephron, who scored an Oscar nomination for writing “When Harry Met Sally…” On one hand, we find it odd that Joe has such a vast knowledge of rom-coms. Then again, people who base their expectations for romance on movies usually have the most twisted perceptions.
#8: Safety First on the Subway
In the first episode, Joe and Beck’s relationship takes another step forward after the latter stumbles onto the train tracks. Fortunately, Joe pulls her up before the train zooms by. We might call this a romantic moment if Joe wasn’t stalking Beck and she didn’t subsequently vomit on him. Although the scene is only about three minutes long, actors Penn Badgley and Elizabeth Lail spent eight hours preparing. New York City won’t let just anybody jump onto the notoriously chaotic subway tracks. The two cast members had to take a lengthy safety course before shooting. Badgley claims that they got certified to go on the tracks for a year and a half. We guess those cards would be expired by now.
#7: Forty & Love’s Names
Twin siblings Love and Forty both have unconventional names. When you put them together, though, a layered meaning is unearthed. 40 Love is a tennis term, which is slyly referenced in an episode where the brother and sister play a game. This suggests that tennis is a popular sport in their wealthy family, but the symbolism runs much deeper than that. In tennis, “love” represents the score “zero,” which both players naturally start with. One point equals 15 points, two equals 30, and three equals 40. Although Quinn family patriarch Ray has always mistreated Forty, it becomes clear that matriarch Dottie has far more affection for her son than her daughter. So, it only makes sense that Forty’s name would stand for a higher score.
#6: Paco & Ellie Weren’t in the Books
The first season of “You” is based on Caroline Kepnes’ 2014 novel of the same name. Season Two draws inspiration from Kepnes’ 2016 follow-up, “Hidden Bodies.” As is the case with any adaptation, the showrunners made several changes, even introducing a couple of new characters. In Season One, Joe encounters his young neighbor Paco, played by Luca Padovan. Seeing much of himself in Paco, Joe looks out for the neglected and mistreated boy. The practically sixteen-year-old Ellie, played by Jenna Ortega, possesses a similar role in Season 2. Although neither character was in the books, they not only provide a younger perspective, but also add some humanity to the deeply disturbed protagonist. Of course, Ellie in particular probably would’ve been better off if she never met Joe.
#5: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
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Mooney’s bookstore is one of the most prominent locations throughout the show’s first season. If you’re a bookworm living in Manhattan, you have recognized it. These scenes were shot at Logos Bookstore, which you’ll find in Yorkville. Even if you’re not a New Yorker, Mooney’s might seem familiar. The same year that “You” premiered, the bookstore also popped up in the Oscar-nominated “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” starring Melissa McCarthy. Ironically, both of these projects center on literary experts who commit crimes, although Lee Israel’s weren’t nearly as dire as Joe’s. Be sure to pick up a book the next time you’re in the neighborhood, but don’t bother asking to see the plexiglass book vault in the basement. We’re pretty sure they don’t have one.
#4: A Very Different Ending
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Some of the most notable changes to the source material come towards Season Two’s conclusion. Joe isn’t the only master of manipulation with blood on his hands. Love murders Candace, Delilah, and Forty’s au-pair, all while pulling the strings in her relationship with Joe. Badgley learned about Love’s killer twist not long after reading with Victoria Pedretti at her audition. What made this especially surprising is that Love wasn’t revealed to be a murderer in “Hidden Bodies.” Rather, Joe kills Delilah in the book, but Love accepts him nonetheless. Joe also drowns Forty to death in the desert, which he manages to keep secret from Love. On top of all that, the novel ends with Joe in jail, confident Quinn’s family will get him off.
#3: Netflix Saves Another Canceled Show
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Although “You” found much of its audience on Netflix, the first season originally aired on Lifetime. “You” not only went straight-to-series, but Lifetime ordered a second season before the pilot even premiered. Lifetime pulled out of Season Two, however, when “You” only attracted about 650,000 viewers per episode. You know what they say. When cable closes the door, Netflix opens a window. Within its first four weeks on the streaming service, Netflix estimated that “You” had been viewed in more than 40 million households. With the show also blowing up social media, Netflix leaped at the chance to renew “You” for a second and third season. It’s just another example of how Netflix can turn a show from niche into a phenomenon.
#2: Candace’s Surprise Return
As despicable as Joe is on the show, his literary counterpart is even more monstrous. Just as Joe is responsible for Delilah’s death in the books, he also drowns Candace at the beach when she attempts to dump him. The Season One finale deviates from the source material, revealing that Candace is alive and has a bone to pick with Joe. Even after Joe relocates to Los Angeles in the second season, Candace continues to pursue him under the alias of Amy. Originally, the showrunners planned to stick to the books and not have Candace return. According to Sera Gamble, fellow co-developer Greg Berlanti suggested about five episodes in that the “other women” in Joe’s life should come back, making for a killer cliffhanger.
#1: Penn Badgley Almost Rejected the Lead Role
Joe Goldberg has arguably evolved into Penn Badgley’s most recognizable character, even surpassing Dan Humphrey on “Gossip Girl.” Badgley nearly passed on “You” for a few reasons, however. Aside from having reservations about doing another TV show, Badgley simply didn’t like Joe Goldberg. He was torn about playing a character who views himself as a romantic when in reality, Joe is a murderous sociopath. He also noticed a few glaring similarities between Joe and Dan. Badgley had a change of tune after talking with Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble. While Badgley knew that he would always be conflicted about the character, he found that would make him an appropriate choice to play Joe. Badgley is perhaps the last person who will defend Joe’s actions, though.
